Rick: The first time I heard your music you were in Opera IX. When and why did you decide to leave Opera IX and pursue other avenues?

Cadaveria: During the last period I spent in Opera IX I progressively became aware I was developing ideologies and a way of life different from the band’s. Simply I was growing up, my personality was becoming stronger and my interests were going beyond paganism and witchcraft. Relationship inside the band were becoming hard and I felt myself constricted. So in 2001 I decided to leave the band. I succeeded in transforming into energy the bitterness and sadness I felt and with Flegias’s support, who left the band with me, I immediately decided to give life to a new project, where I could freely express myself. I gave this project my name to underline it represents what I am.

Rick: Were you already considering joining the DyNAbyte band/project in before you split from Opera IX? Was it your intent at that point to also pursue your solo band?

Cadaveria: When I was in Opera IX I was completely absorbed by the band and there was no space for anything else. When I founded CADAVERIA band I get in contact with John (Killer Bob, the bass player) and Baron Harkonnen (keyboards), who already had their own side project DyNAbyte. After I released the first CADAVERIA album I found some free time and I accepted the invitation of John and B. Harkonnen (aka LJ Dusk) to join DyNAbyte. So my presence in DyNAbyte was a consequence of CADAVERIA band.

Rick: The Official Opera IX site states that one of the reasons you left was difference of a "spiritual nature". Could you elaborate on that?

Cadaveria: Do they really say this? Well, beside a band Opera IX was becoming a sort of sect. For a period this was ok to me, then I opened my mind and I started considering a bit reductive to speak only about occultism. World is so variegated and there are so many things to explore. As I said at a point I felt constricted, and lack of freedom is a bad thing for an artist, you know.

Rick: Does Cadaveria (the band) afford you opportunities to express yourself musically in different ways than Opera IX or DyNAbyte do?

Cadaveria: Let me say you can distinguish Cadaveria (the band) from Cadaveria (the singer) simply writing the first one in capital letters. This is what we do since 2001 but none had understood it, so maybe this is the occasion to let people know I’m Cadaveria while my band is CADAVERIA… Well, yes! I feel perfectly in this role, I do what I want and I can be myself. Musically speaking, CADAVERIA embraces many genres without the need to belong to any particular trend. Remaining in the meanders of metal we cross from classical Heavy Metal to Gothic, Death and Black. If tomorrow we want to play Doom we can do it. Lyrically it is the same thing. And this freedom influences also our image, that we reinvent for every new album.

Rick: Vocally you’ve done three pretty different styles of music. Opera IX describe the music as "pagan metal", DyNAbyte’s music is self-described as "the perfect mix between computer and man", and you’re describing Cadaveria as "horror metal". In your view what defines "horror metal"?

Cadaveria: Horror Metal means all and nothing and that’s why I like this definition. It is referred to the fact we take inspiration from horror movies as well as from horror literature, maybe to the fact our image has something horrifying and bizarre, but musically it doesn’t identify any particular style. So we are always free to experiment new musical paths, those suggested by our multifaceted personality and by our different tastes.

Rick: Obviously every writer I ask about influences states the standard "I draw influences from everywhere" answer. Narrow it down for me a bit, where does Cadaveria gather the influences that end up comprising your new material?

Cadaveria: Basically from what I live, that is from people I meet, things I see or do, feelings. If I feel myself introspective I take inspiration from my past , my psyche, my twisted and paranoiac thoughts. If I feel creative I go and see a paintings exhibition and I take inspiration from the artist who painted or performed that opera. If I feel like rule-breaking I do something eccentric and then I write a lyric about the mental journey I did.

Rick: It seems to me that you took a bit more time to complete your new album, was this intentional? How did the album benefit from the extra time?

Cadaveria: After Far Away from Conformity album promotion we took a short break and then we started composing the new material. We approached the work with no hurry. We were changing the label and we hadn’t people pressing us on times. We said we would not leave the recording studio till we were completely satisfied by the final result. Off course I think it was worth the while... It is always hard for me to speak about my music, anyway in general the main benefit of this accurate work is a fresher sound, oppressive and strong at the same time.

Rick: Congratulations on your new cd release, "In Your Blood" by the way. How has your new association with Season of Mist working out? How did you end up signing with Season of Mist for both Europe and the USA markets?

Cadaveria: When we finished the preproduction we get in contact with some labels and Season of Mist did an interesting offer. As they are based in USA too it was quite normal we signed a worldwide contract.

Rick: I’m curious about your writing process for Cadaveria. Could you describe the basic process from a song concept to final mixed product?

Cadaveria: I perpetually write lyrics, as I continually note thoughts on papers. When we feel it is time to start composing again I exhume the notes I took during the last year and I reorganize them. Regarding music our composing process is a bit strange. Except In Your Blood, where main guitar riffs were composed by Frank Booth, other albums come from ideas I record on a portable tape recorder, Nineties style. Melodies I invent became guitar riffs or vocal parts, studied and arranged with the rest of the band during foolish rehearsal sections. Then we usually make a pre-production before starting recording the CD and we listen to the recorded material many times before doing the final cut on the mix.

Rick: How does this process differ or correspond with the process for writing DyNAbyte material?

Cadaveria: I’m the heart of CADAVERIA stuff, while I cannot say the same for DyNAbyte. Here LJ Dusk is the main mind, composing guitar riffs and drum machine patterns. He usually meets John and they build the stuff. I join them to perform the lyrics and to define the song final structure.

Rick: It says that DyNAbyte are currently working on new material on the homepage. Do you work on DyNAbyte material at the same time you’re working on Cadaveria material? Does one take a backseat to the other during the recording and writing process?

Cadaveria: No, I always separate these two moments. If I start an important thing I must conclude it, before switching my mind to another. Actually I’m dedicating to In Your Blood promotion and I’m busy with future live dates organization, but John and LJ Dusk are already at work on new DyNAbyte songs.

Rick: What progression, musically speaking, do you hear from the first Cadaveria cd "The Shadows Madame" (2002) to your new album (2007)?

Cadaveria: We always approach to a new CD as a new beginning so I think our three albums cannot be compared. Listening to the albums it is clear we are now more open-minded and creative. Our composing process has become more productive, we cross more genres and write more songs than in the past. In Your Blood was thought as an eleven song album. When it was the moment to decide we weren’t able to exclude the 12th track.

Rick: The "In Your Blood" cover is extremely provocative. In terms of your cover art, is it important for you to push the limits artistically and visually? Where do you draw influences and visual ideas?

Cadaveria: I’m curious and I like strange things. I like to search young contemporary artists and see what they do. I often go to exhibitions and I’m interested in art in general. This represent a great source of inspiration. Sometimes it happens you meet and know a new artist and a new suggestion is born. Sometimes they work with us for the cover or, as it is happening now, for a video.

Rick: I know that you’ve done a couple of videos in the past. I just read that you’re working on a new video for "Anagram". You have been quoted as saying "the images will be disquieting and sick", what do you have in store for this video? What’s the video’s concept?

Cadaveria: I’m totally excited! We are shooting in these days. We already used two locations and on next Sunday we will do the third with the playback and we will finish the first part of the work. Then we will mix it, even if some parts are already done. I wrote a detailed storyboard so we are already able to mix the shot images even if the material is not 100% available. This time the presence of a professional director and skilled actors were fundamental. Last week, when we were shooting, I attended to a great live performance by the actress. Anagram lyrics deals with psychotic minds so the concept behind the video is basically madness. You will see a mad man who is desperately trying to find the formula to anagrammatise his dreams in order to find out himself. Two sick but inconsistent female figures, representing a strange angel and a menstruated devil, are trying to perturb him. A disquieting normal man insinuates his presence in the scene while I’m eating liver, lungs and the heart of an animal and the rest of the band is playing under a cellophane.

Rick: When will the video be shot? When do you expect it to be released?

Cadaveria: I think the video will be ready for half November. We will spread it for free on You tube and the rest of the Internet.

Rick: Is this another self produced video in which you’ll have complete artistic control?

Cadaveria: Absolutely yes. And it is over the lines so I think televisions will not broadcast it. It will be a very underground piece.

Rick: When you started singing back in the mid-nineties you were one of very few female vocalists in what I’d call the extreme metal genres. Now there seem to be a lot of young ladies fronting extreme metal style bands. I could easily name twenty off the top of my head. Do you feel that the underground has in large part become more accepting of women singing in the extreme/black metal genres?

Cadaveria: Well I think the ladies who actually role the metal scene don’t belong to extreme/black metal genres. The most part of them deal with gothic and melodic metal. In my opinion only two or three belong to Death Metal. It is a pity women entered the metal scene by choosing the soft side of it.

Rick: You’re obviously very comfortable with the use of the female image to promote your music, or at least that’s my impression. What do you say to the people that say it’s demeaning and degrading to yourself and other female vocalists?

Cadaveria: Guys, we are in 2007. Hope this is enough to let women use their image as they like. Finally men first look, then touch.

Rick: Where, if anywhere, do you see yourself in terms of being someone who broke new ground and helped open the door for the women who followed you into these music genres?

Cadaveria: I open the door for myself, in order to let me enter a new room and discover what there is inside. If the door remains open also for the ones who come after me, that’s ok. By the way I’m happy you remember I was one of the first to enter in.

Rick: Lately the USA femme metal fan has been treated to a plethora of European bands making their first pilgrimages to tour the States. Is it possible at this point that Season of Mist could get you on one of these triple band types of club bills and get Cadaveria touring the US? Is it even a goal of yours to tour the US in support of the "In Your Blood" cd?

Cadaveria: All is possible but nothing is sure. Actually we have plans to tour some parts of Europe, as we signed a new deal with a booking agency that will care about CADAVERIA live activity. Personally I don’t know the role Season of Mist has in US tour. I would love to come there but I think it’s not so easy. I see easier to go to South America than on the States.

Rick: Tell your fans why you love them.

Cadaveria: Cause they love me.

Rick: I know we’ve taken a great deal of you’re time. We sincerely appreciate your efforts. You RULE!

Cadaveria: Thanks for the interesting interview and for your trust in us. MEMENTO AUDERE SEMPER